Contact Center Solutions Featured Article

Call Centers Give Vets a Chance for a New Life

In Colorado, a call center, staffed primarily by veterans, fields calls from other veterans who need help adjusting to life at home.

“There’s a lot of times veterans don’t think they have anyone to talk to or anybody to care about them. And we are here to show them that we are here to care about them,” said Tom McCabe, who manages the veterans call center at 877-WAR-VETS.

The U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs maintains its own call center for vets who are either homeless or at risk of losing their homes. The call center, which can be reached at 877-4AID-VET, can help either at-risk veterans or veterans’ families find mental health services and homeless centers in their local areas.

In New York, the state operates a Veterans Service Contact Center that give vets information about their health care benefits. New York vets can learn about their co-pays, service eligibility and special services including treatment for Agent Orange (News - Alert) and Persian Gulf Syndrome. Vets can also find out special information related to women or care options for returning POWs.

Vets call 877-WAR-VETS in Colorado for different reasons. Some want to get the number of their nearest V.A. hospitals, while others call to vent to someone who understands what it’s like to serve.

In addition to creating call centers to help veterans, many programs are helping veterans find jobs within call centers as either agents or managers. The Veteran Contact Center (VCC) employs both veterans and disabled veterans to provide comprehensive contact center service to both private businesses and federal agencies.

The VCC boasts that veterans perform well in contact centers because they have accelerated learning curves and know what teamwork is all about. They function well under pressure, adhere to rules and regulations and know the value of integrity and a good work ethic. In exchange for veterans’ hard work, the VCC delivers financial well-being and economic independence.

Contact centers aren’t the only options for employment for vets. Companies like DuPont, General Electric, J.B. Hunt and USAA Insurance have committed to hiring veterans for open positions.

In Wyoming, Mich., over 45 employers who want to hire veterans and their spouses will attend a job fair at the National Guard Armory on January 24. The event, called “Hiring Our Heroes,” is part of an initiative to hire 500,000 veterans sponsored by the U.S. Chamber, the National Chamber Foundation and Capital One (News - Alert).

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